FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH Shares Collaboration With Legendary Hip-Hop Artist DMX On New Single 'This Is The Way (Feat. DMX)

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has released the the digital deluxe edition of "AfterLife", the band's critically acclaimed ninth studio album, via Better Noise Music. The deluxe version includes the original 12 tracks recorded with the band's longtime producer Kevin Churko (OZZY OSBOURNE) in addition to four bonus tracks: three acoustic versions of the album's songs "The End", "Judgement Day" and "Thanks For Asking" plus a brand new song, "This Is The Way", featuring the late rapper DMX. An official music video for "This Is The Way (Featuring DMX)", which can be seen below, is directed by none other than highly influential filmmaker Hype Williams, a longtime friend and close collaborator of the late DMX. Hailed by The New York Times in 2024 as "The Nineties Wunderkind," Hype Williams is known for his seminal work with luminaries like Tupac, Wu-Tang Clan and Jay-Z, among others.

"Music is meant to be universal and without boundaries, and it starts at the top with us, the artists," says FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Zoltan Bathory. "We have always embraced the mixing of genres, whether it be the remake of LL Cool J's 'Mama Said Knock You Out' featuring Tech N9ne as a guest, or our collaboration with blues warrior Kenny Wayne Shepherd, country star Brantley Gilbert, and Brian May, the legendary guitarist of QUEEN, on the song 'Blue On Black'.

"The idea of collaborating with DMX had been in discussion for years, and it was a long and winding road to turn this particular item on our wish list into reality. He was a lyrical warrior, a true original who spoke his mind incorruptibly. We have always viewed DMX as 'the metalhead of hip-hop' because of his aggressive, raw, and untamed style. He growled and snarled, aiming to rattle some cages–an attitude we share, as FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has always been drawn to the fearless and the real. It made all the sense in the world, but today this is more than just a song; it's a salute to a legend, a way to honor DMX's memory."

When playing the song for other hip-hop legends, DMC of RUN-D.M.C., one of the originals to do it first with "Walk This Way" with AEROSMITH, said: "The sound of the music, what Ivan [Moody, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH singer] is singing about, and what X is talking about, is how X lived his life. The struggle, the dark with the light, the bad with the good, the pain with the joy. This song is very emotional, very musical; it's very well rounded."

"AfterLife: Deluxe" track listing:

01. Welcome To The Circus
02. AfterLife
03. Times Like These
04. Roll Dem Bones
05. Pick Up Behind You
06. Judgment Day
07. IOU
08. Thanks For Asking
09. Blood And Tar
10. All I Know
11. Gold Gutter
12. The End
13. This Is The Way (feat. DMX)
14. Judgment Day (acoustic)
15. The End (acoustic)
16. Thanks For Asking (acoustic)

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH will be headed to Europe this summer on a headlining tour with special guests ICE NINE KILLS from May 23 through mid-July. The jaunt will see the group on the main stages of many of Europe's biggest festivals, including Graspop Metal Meeting (Belgium),Metalfest Open Air Plzen (Czech Republic) and With Full Force Festival (Germany). The band will also continue to join METALLICA on their stadium shows in Germany, Austria, Poland, Denmark, Finland and Spain this summer before returning to the U.S. for a headlining fall run with MARILYN MANSON and SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL from August 2 to September 19.

"AfterLife" is FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's first album with its latest addition, renowned British virtuoso Andy James, who replaced Jason Hook in 2020. James was previously featured on "Broken World", a song that was included on the second installment of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's greatest-hits collection, "A Decade Of Destruction – Volume 2", which came out in the fall of 2020.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH played its first show as the support act for METALLICA on the "M72" tour on August 6, 2023 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH was originally supposed to support METALLICA on several European shows in the spring of 2022 but ended up canceling the dates in order to allow Moody to fully recover from a hernia surgery.

Photo credit: Travis Shinn